Animated works of all genres are available for theaters, TV and the Internet. Only films completed after 1st April 2018 and never previously final selected and awarded for SICAF will be accepted.

Competition Category

1) Feature Films : Works with a running time of over 40 minutes in length and/or films made for cinema2) Short Films : Works with a running time of less than 40 minutes in length3) Student Films : Works produced by students with a running time of less than 40 minutes in length4) SICAF KID : Works made for children

Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival (SICAF) is an international event that specializes in animation representing Asia. Since it started as a small animation screening event in 1995, it became the official member of the Association of Animated Film Festival (ASIFA) in 2005, and has grown into a reputable international animation festival over the past 22 years. Largely divided into competition and invitation sections, The SICAF program introduces a variety of works expanding the territory of animation from the classical masterpieces to the latest hits, focusing on the changing environment and paradigms. In addition, SICAF succeeds the tradition with Animation Awards and encourages the young artists to lead the future with International Competition and Production Support Program for Short Animation.

Seoul Cartoon & Animation Week takes place from July 15, audiences and directors around the world will gather in the city.

① SICAF – One of the five prestigious animation festivals in the world showcasing 103 films beat out some heavy competition among nominees from 93 countries, and various exhibitions

② SPP – The biggest market for animation and webtoon professionals in Asia, featuring more than 450 companies including Netflix

③ Si3 – Artists, producers, and entrepreneurs will take the stage together to discuss the present and future of the content industry (Web: http://www.seouli3.org)

2019 SICAF Festival Coverage

A total of 2,565 films from 93 countries were submitted to the festival; 103 films from 28 countries with diversity and quality will be shown to the audiences during the festival. In this year, SICAF will be held for five days from Wednesday, July 17 to Sunday, July 21 at COEX A4 Hall and Megabox COEX, under this year’s theme of Innovative Change.

The opening film, the much-talked-about Korean 3D animation Red Shoes, is set to make its premiere in Korea. The story is about Red Shoes who has become a totally different person after she wore red shoes and Seven Princes over Flowers cursed to be green dwarves. The film has been highly acclaimed for its popularity and quality.

Red Shoes and the Seven Dwarfs

There will be also 28 invitation screenings for family visitors, including Hello Carbot, Titipo Titipo, Tayo the Little Bus, Dokdo Guards Sea Lion, Ann of Green Gables which will allow people to trip down memory lane, and Persepolis which raises our awareness of human rights.

A cartoon and animation exhibition will also be organized alongside the screening program. The exhibition has three parts, that is special, featured, and invitation section and includes a variety of fun contents such as interviews with webtoonists, costume play performances, and booths of related companies.

The special section shows past and recent works from Kim Hyung-Bae, the winner of Comic Awards 2018, along with a representation of Kim’s studio and photos that show his life and achievements.

The featured section, Proudog and Delicat, is a pet-themed exhibition decorated as if it is a pet café, featuring pet webtoons such as The Ultimate Dog Owners and Bbo-Zza-Toon.

In another featured section, Scene: Gadamhangsul, the webtoon Gadamhangsul will be reinterpreted in a form of paper art that captures three most impressive scenes from the webtoon. Furthermore, the section exhibits various technics like lenticular, which shows different images when viewed from different angles.

○ The invitation section, Young businessman Kim Dae-Jung, will showcase a history webtoon based on the true story of former Korean president Kim Dae-Jung as a young businessman. The section displays around 70 pieces of the webtoon accompanied by its production announcement.

□ Additional events will also be held, such as Master Class where you can learn from animation Masters, Dubbing Artist’s Day for fans of animation, and Singalong. Targets of the programs are ranging from animation enthusiasts, family to anyone who loves culture and art.

Tickets can be purchased via Naver or Interpark and all screenings will take place in Megabox COEX.

2019 Seoul Promotion Plan

Seoul Promotion Plan (SPP): Monday, July 15 –Wednesday, July 17. SPP, the biggest market for animation and webtoon professionals, will be held for three days from Monday, July 15, to Wednesday, July 18 at Millennium Seoul Hilton.

SPP has four sections. In Biz Matching, buyers and sellers are matched to induce investment. Asia New Direction will draw major media companies throughout Asia and open up a stage to discuss the future of the animation industry and invigoration of business foundation. At the Conference, the hottest issues from content industries will be discussed, and there’s Ignite, which is a series of business presentations from Korean media and production companies.

In this year, major global buyers including Netflix, Disney, Nickelodeon, and Youku is expected to join Biz Matching to consult with Korean content providers.

Many content providers in Korea are excited as Netflix, global number one OTT platform has officially announced its participation in SPP.

The biggest meeting place for cartoon, webtoon, and animation that shows a glimpse of present and future of the content industry with overviews of industrial, artistic, and technical aspects will take place from Friday, July 19 to Saturday, July 20 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza.

Under the theme of “Age of Discovery: Tolerance for the New Renaissance”, Animation World Network co-founder Dan Sarto and OLM Digital executive director Ken Anjyo will deliver keynote speeches. OLM Digital is best known for computer graphic works of Pokemon and Yo-kai Watch.

David Christensen, executive producer from National Film Board of Canada, will lead an interesting policy roundtable. NFB is considered as an example of best practice in the state-led visual entertainment industry.

20 speakers from 8 countries are joining the forum, including writers, professors and businessmen from different fields with animators from Disney Pixar and creators. Various workshops and academies will take place as following:

pecial workshop by Eric Oh, a former Disney Pixar animator who is known for his work for Inside Out and Finding Dory

3D Character producing academy by character artists from blur studio who was in charge of producing a Netflix original animation

Lecture by Tumblbug introducing how to get crowdfunding as a cartoon and animation professional

Sessions including ‘Personal Media Content Captured in Imagination’ where visitors meet content creators and ‘Philosophy and Humanities for Post-Human Era’, which showcases convergence in Education for elementary school teachers and school parents

Experience spaces such as VR Game Playground for Healing and Underwater Dome, a future city imagined through VR

In addition, the forum will offer an opportunity to hear about the behind-the-scenes story of an animation film highlighted by international film festivals including the Oscars and major news media such as CNN. Tonko House, the producer of The Dam Keeper, is founded by two prominent directors from Disney Pixar, Daisuke “Dice” Tsutsumi and Robert Kondo. The global animation studio is getting more and more attention after covered by CNN, New York Times and Hollywood Report. The Dam Keeper is a silent animation film that differentiates itself from traditional films by Disney Pixar with visuals suggesting pastel drawing. The film tells an emotional story about environmental problems and school bullying.

This Seoul Cartoon & Animation Week is a festival presents a snapshot of changes and trends happening right now in international imagination industry. The festival will increase international awareness of the Korean cartoon and animation industry. We are committed to supporting it to be a successful event loved by everyone. Cho In-Dong, Director General of Seoul Innovation at Seoul metropolitan government.

Si3 Event Synopsis

2018 Festival Coverage: Trailer

Iran│2018│1min│Color│Seyed Vahid Olyaee

For millions of years, earth has been a generous and forgiving mother for all kind of species and creatures. Its rich natural resources, liquid water and a unique atmosphere that shelters it from the worst of the sun’s rays have made it a special planet. The earth has witnessed all kind of extinct creatures that used to feed on it. No other planet has yet been known to have such a warm hospitality. However, the only creature that has seriously damaged and destroyed this kind planet is human being. Actually our ignorance has caused severe problems for this amazing habitat. Growing environmental awareness about the fact that our mistakes endanger our lives as well as the whole planet and its habitants, will definitely help to save our planet and protect this precious treasure.

Regarding this scientific concern, we have decided to remind our children and young audience that every single being on this planet has the right to live and we as human beings must do our best to respect, appreciate and protect our unique planet. In designing this poster we were inspired by a poem by famed Iranian philosopher and poet Molana who reminded us that every particles in this world form animate to inanimate is aware and they are in constant harmony and dialogue with each other, however our ignorance has made us unable to hear or see them. All forms of being from animals, plants (to add more variety we used Cactus which lives in extremely dry habitats), unknown creatures from space or other planets and even robots are worried about earth and try to fix our damages.

SICAF2018 Preliminary Selection: Jury Members

Yeong Dong Jang│South Korea │STUDENT FILMS: I based this year’s judging on the categories of creative artistry, marketable factors, and technique. I’ve also considered the films and how they were made – whether it was made by an individual or produced by a group. I’ve also taken the factors of SICAF’s mission into consideration and chose films apt for the competition. A particularly noteworthy factor is that I did consider that the films were going to be watched by an audience – and judged from, not an artistic individual’s perspective, but an audience’s perspective. Conclusively, my judgings were based on artistry, marketable factors, the plot, and technique. I wish the best of luck to everyone who submitted their films. Young Don Jang has taught character design and animation at many universities including Kookmin University, Sungshin Women’s University, and Hoseo University. He is currently a professor at Myongji University and is taking part in the development of Korean animation. Other than his duties as a professor, Jang has been contributing to developing flash animations and character design. He is also a part of many organizations; he is currently a chairman at Korea Animation Artist Association and at ASIFA Korea, and a part of the organizing committee at the Korean Character Society.

Kwon Chul Byun│South Korea│Poilot, Kids, Online: Kwon Chul Byun is the CEO of Studio Moggozi, a creative studio taking part in making animated films and characters. Byun has been expanding the industry of Korean Animation and working on the following animated films as a director and producer: T-pang rescue, Grami’s Circus, Modoo Modoo Show, Duda & Dada, and Go Go Dino. He is also taking part in licensing and new media content-related businesses.

Sung Kyu Choi│South Korea│FEATURE FILMS, SHORT FILMS: Sung Kyu Choi received his master’s degree from the New York Institute of Technology in Communication Arts and 3D Animation. After graduating, Choi took on many roles relating to animation. He was a visiting professor at the Vancouver Film School, a chairperson at the Seoul International Cartoon & Animation Festival (SICAF), a jury member at the Busan International Short Film Festival, and so forth. He is currently taking on many roles such as being a professor at Kyung Sung University and being the president at the Busan Film Animation Forum.

Hannes Rall│Germany│SHORT FILMS : I felt very honoured and took great pleasure in participating in this year’s pre-selection jury for SICAF. With a record number of submissions it proved to be a wonderful yet very challenging task. It is obvious that tough choices needed to be made in the end. When it comes to the final selection, it is unavoidable that some excellent films cannot be considered because there are only so many screening slots available. But this also means that we got to see the current status of independent animation from all around the world. And I am happy to report that the art form is continuing to scale new heights of achievement: Drawn animation in variety of approaches is keeping its strong presence in the independent world with some truly outstanding pieces. Digital media are increasingly used in highly inventive and hybridised ways. Mixing techniques in the service of a compelling artistic vision is a continuing trend that often leads to the strongest results. I am further happy with the fact that the quality of storytelling is strong in many films. The best films match narrative and art perfectly. On the other hand I was fascinated by films that remain challenging to the audience, with positively “weird” visuals and unconventional approaches to story. Either artistic direction should find its rightful place in a world class festival for independent animated film. Animation has become a globalised art form in the best sense of the word: Asia and the greater Pacific region, Europe and North America remain strong. What I noticed particularly this year is the growing quality of films from South America: There is some outstanding work with strong storytelling and a incredibly high level of craft on display. Today, fantastic animation can emerge from every corner of the world. A diversity and artistic kaleidoscope this year’s short film competition at SICAF will reflect beautifully. Hannes Rall is a tenured Associate Professor at the School of Art, Design and Media (ADM) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and Area Coordinator of the Digital Animation Program. Hannes is also a successful independent animation director. His films have been shown in more than 500 festivals and won over 60 awards. He has been awarded 12 major film funding grants and 11 competitive research grants. Hannes has presented his research in leading conferences like ACM SIGGRAPH, FMX and the Annual Conferences of the Society for Animation Studies. His book “Animation: From Concept to Production” was published by CRC Press in December 2017.

Andy Buchanan│Australia│FEATURE FILMS, SHORT FILMS : This year, the SICAF festival attracted exceptionally high quality entries in the animated features and animated shorts categories that reflect the global interest in animation and in Korea as focal destination for cutting edge industry and independent production. The entries also reflect an ever broadening collection of styles, themes and auteur orientations to animated work. Judges were treated to the most refined VFX, innovative digital practices, stunning abstract explorations and personal, emotional expressions, as well as most impressive contributions in the lineage of traditional animation craft. The quality of this curated selection for the 2018 SICAF festival is a credit to the filmmakers whose work is sure to delight. Andy Buchanan is a digital animation artist from Melbourne, Australia, best known for his sculptural morphing animation installations. Over the last decade, his work has been shown exhibited at the Sydney Film Festival, Experimenta Biennial, ISEA, The National Gallery of Victoria, White Night, and at other national and international animation and projection art events. He holds a PhD in Creative Media from RMIT University (Plasmatic: Improvising Animated Metamorphosis), as well as degrees in Animation and Design. Buchanan’s animation research includes digital 3D metamorphosis, animated neuroaesthetics and philosophy of mind, and improvisation in animation practice.

Antony Gusscott │Australia│STUDENT FILMS There was a magnitude of students films this year. The ones that stood out made an impact in the first twenty seconds, had a strong story, relatable characters and in most cases, there was a twist or a reveal at the end. An animation is an experience and the media can be anything, hand drawn, computer rendered, clay, ripped paper, dolls. But, it’s not just visual. So much emotion can be conveyed through music, the voices and sounds this shouldn’t be overlooked even if you are only an animator. Find others and use your combined strengths to tell stories that want people want to share.

Antony is the Creative Director at Sprinkles on Top. He consults with Animation companies to create TV Series and Character Brands by developing Show Bibles, Style Guides and Pitching materials. Antony has been in the Korean Animation industry since 2006. He began his career as Designer / Writer, and worked his way to becoming a Producer and a Director.

FESTIVAL REPORTS

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